Research

Nanopore Science

Nanopores are tiny holes in thin membranes that let us detect and manipulate single molecules electrically, and we invented controlled breakdown, a simple way to fabricate them that is now used by laboratories around the world.

Our research program develops new techniques to manipulate and characterize single molecules with nanopore devices, unravel the basic physics governing the behaviour of ions, biological molecules and polymers in nanoconfined geometries, and translate these discoveries into new tools for the life sciences, medical diagnostics, energy harvesting, neuromorphic computing and next-generation data storage.

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Nanopore Fabrication

by controlled breakdown

We invented nanopore fabrication by controlled breakdown (CBD), a simple, rapid, and cost-effective method for creating individual solid-state nanopores directly in solution (e.g. 1M KCl pH8). Conventional transmission electron and focused ion beam pore drilling methods were slow, cumbersome, suffered from low yield, and required expensive equipment operated by expert users. In contrast, our CBD method consists in simply applying an electric field across a solid-state membrane, with a strength that is near the dielectric breakdown strength of the membrane. A tunneling current is monitored until a sharp increase indicates the spontaneous formation of a nanopore and the onset of ionic current. The pore size can be precisely enlarged by applying time-varying voltage waveforms.

To learn more check out our original article in PLoS ONE and our Nature Protocols, which presents our accumulated knowledge of nanopore fabrication by CBD since the initial publication of the method, and freely provides to the research community a software, plans for building the hardware and our latest protocols required to reliably automate fabrication of low noise, precisely sized, solid-state nanopores.

A turn-key solution was previously commercialized by our spin-off company: Northern Nanopore Instruments.

We are continuing to expand the fabrication capabilities of CBD, in terms of speed, precision, and array size.

Learn more about the controlled breakdown fabrication here.

Fundamentals of Molecular Transport

Elucidating the dynamics of capture and passage through nanopores

We study the fundamentals of the molecular capture and passage through nanopores. In addition to linear DNA polymers under various experimental conditions, we explore the transport properties of nanostructured DNA (origami), proteins and DNA-protein complexes. We also investigate how molecular conformation, as well as entropic and enthalpic forces, influence the dynamics of passage by creating advanced nanopore devices to manipulate individual molecules before capture.

Biosensing & Digital Assays

with single-molecule counting

We are developing biosensing techniques and digital assays by rapidly and accurately counting single molecules electrically with nanopores. We are performing proof-of-concepts for diagnostic applications with complex biofluids and clinical samples. We are also developing tools and methods for accurately extracting capture rate information and measuring molecular concentration from nanopore data.

Integration with Microfluidics

for Lab-on-chip applications and parallelization

In collaboration with the GodinLab, we are developing various types of microfluidic devices to integrate different sample manipulation capabilities with nanopore sensing. We are also using 3D printing to easily prototype milli- and microfluidic devices.